"Don't worry, for your sake Mikoto, I'll go easy on him."
Hayato Ren's voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached Uchiha Tajima's ears.
Uchiha Tajima acted as if he hadn't heard anything, continuing to walk outside at an unhurried pace. However, a crimson color emerged in his eyes, within which three tomoe spun continuously.
Soon, Uchiha Tajima brought Hayato Ren and Mikoto to a sparsely populated clearing.
As for why they didn't choose to use the Uchiha clan's existing training grounds?
It definitely wasn't because Uchiha Tajima feared that if he lost to Hayato Ren, his old face would have nowhere left to hide.
It must be said that as an elder of the Uchiha clan, Uchiha Tajima was quite cautious.
Hayato Ren and Uchiha Tajima stood facing each other, their eyes locked solely on each other's figures.
A gentle breeze passed by, just right blowing a green leaf to land between the two men.
Yet, neither of them made any move.
However, compared to Uchiha Tajima whose entire body was tense with his Sharingan activated, Hayato Ren's posture appeared rather relaxed and at ease.
"Brat, aren't you going to summon your Summoning Beast?" Uchiha Tajima asked Hayato Ren.
Naturally, Uchiha Tajima had long investigated Hayato Ren's information, after all he was his daughter's only male teammate.
In response to Uchiha Tajima's question, Hayato Ren simply raised his head, gazing at the sky at a forty-five degree angle as he replied lightly:
"To deal with an old fossil like you, there's no need for Charizard."
Upon hearing this, even with Uchiha Tajima's years of cultivated composure, he couldn't help but burn with rage.
With a loud shout, he drew his sword and charged toward Hayato Ren at incredible speed.
"You damned brat, die!"
Witnessing this scene, Mikoto couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand.
Truly worthy of Ren - with just a few words, he had managed to anger her father to this extent.
This was the first time she had ever seen her father this furious.
The ferocious-looking Uchiha Tajima quickly closed in on Hayato Ren, raising his longsword with both hands to strike down at his head.
Seeing this, Hayato Ren drew Silver Fang - the sword Mikoto had gifted him - and blocked Uchiha Tajima's strike with just one hand.
Their blades crossed and locked in a stalemate, though Uchiha Tajima was using both hands and sweat had already begun beading on his forehead.
Meanwhile, Hayato Ren held his sword with just one hand - not only wasn't he sweating, but he even had the leisure to yawn.
"Old man, is this all you've got?"
After this taunt, Hayato Ren exerted strength in his right hand and sent Uchiha Tajima flying backward.
Seeing this scene, Mikoto couldn't help but let out a gasp of surprise.
Even though she had completely fallen out with Uchiha Tajima before, the bond between father and daughter ultimately ran deeper than water.
Neither Uchiha Tajima nor Hayato Ren—Mikoto didn't want either of them to get hurt.
After flipping several times in midair, Uchiha Tajima landed steadily on the ground.
His eyes were fixed intently on Hayato Ren's figure, and he began to breathe heavily, gasping for air.
[I've really gotten old. If I were ten years younger, I definitely wouldn't be in such a sorry state.]
From their earlier clash, Uchiha Tajima understood that in terms of swordsmanship and even taijutsu, he stood no chance of defeating Hayato Ren.
If Hayato Ren had known what Uchiha Tajima was thinking, he would have scoffed:
Save your breath, old man. I haven't even used the Super Strength Technique yet—otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of you being sent flying.
Just then, Uchiha Tajima suddenly formed hand seals at lightning speed, his Sharingan eyes locked firmly on Hayato Ren's.
Watching Uchiha Tajima's movements, Mikoto couldn't help but cry out anxiously:
"Ren, be careful! Don't look into my father's eyes—that's the Sharingan's genjutsu!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Tajima nearly coughed up blood in frustration.
When had his little darling turned into such a traitor? Why was she always siding with the outsider?
Hayato Ren turned and gave Mikoto a reassuring smile, then stared directly into Uchiha Tajima's Sharingan eyes.
Though he didn't know why Hayato Ren, aware of his technique, would still confront it head-on, Uchiha Tajima didn't hold back. After all, his proud Sharingan would not fail him.
After a long moment, Hayato Ren continued to watch Uchiha Tajima with the same mocking expression—so irritating it was as if he were watching a monkey perform tricks.
If not for the unmistakable loss of a significant amount of chakra from his body, Uchiha Tajima might have doubted whether his genjutsu had even taken effect.
The genjutsu had indeed been successfully cast—it was just that Hayato Ren couldn't be targeted by it.
In the end, genjutsu was nothing more than disrupting the chakra within an enemy's body. For someone with strong mental power, it naturally had little effect.
Not to mention, Haunter was currently hiding in Hayato Ren's shadow. If Hayato Ren were to fall under a genjutsu, Haunter could immediately release him from it.
Uchiha Tajima, after all, was a seasoned veteran ninja. After a brief moment of shock, his hands swiftly formed seals again.
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
From Uchiha Tajima's mouth erupted a massive fire dragon, its force so intense that it raised the temperature of the surrounding area.
Indeed, compared to taijutsu and genjutsu, the Uchiha clan's true expertise lay in Fire Release.
Faced with this formidable Fire Release, Hayato Ren's expression finally turned serious.
He threw a single kunai in Uchiha Tajima's direction.
The specially made kunai passed through the fire dragon unscathed and continued flying straight toward Uchiha Tajima.
However, with the aid of his Three Tomoe Sharingan, Uchiha Tajima easily sidestepped the incoming kunai.
At the same time, a question arose in his mind:
[Why did that annoying brat suddenly throw a kunai at me? Is he trying to provoke me?]
Although Uchiha Tajima's words carried a hint of disdain toward Hayato Ren, he didn't believe a single Fire Release technique could easily eliminate him.
Just then, Hayato Ren suddenly appeared beside the kunai, simultaneously pressing his Silver Fang against Uchiha Tajima's neck.
Feeling the chilling cold against his throat, Uchiha Tajima's eyes widened in shock.
The speed was incredible—when had Hayato Ren closed the distance? Could it be that he had unknowingly fallen under an illusion technique?